This invention relates to a slide switch, and more particularly to a slide switch adapted to selectively carry out any desired switching action due to selective contacting between movable contacts and fixed contacts.
A variety of slide switches have been proposed for sliding a slider provided with movable contacts with respect to fixed contacts arranged on a base, a casing or the like to carry out selective contacting between both movable contacts and fixed contacts, resulting in accomplishing a switching action, a mode changing-over action or any other desired electric action. Also, various slide switches have been provided for permitting a slider slid in an intended or desired direction to be automatically returned to its original position by restoring force of any suitable spring means such as a leaf spring or the like.
Of such conventional slide switches proposed, a slide switch which is constructed so as to slide a slider in longitudinal and lateral four directions to carry out a switching action requires that four separate leaf springs are independently arranged at locations facing four sides of the slider in order to return the slider to its original position. This causes an increase in number of parts. In particular, such a slide switch is required to be small-sized into dimensions of, for example, about 15 mm in length, about 15 mm in width and about 3 to 5 mm in thickness and correspondingly the leaf springs are required to be small-sized into dimensions of about 10 to 12 mm in length, about 1 to 2 mm in width and about 0.1 to 0.2 mm in thickness. Thus, an increase in number of the parts causes assembling of the slide switch to be highly troublesome and time-consuming, leading to an increase in manufacturing cost and a variation in accuracy of the slide switch. This fails to permit the slide switch to stably exhibit a spring performance at uniform and increased accuracy.
Also, the prior art fails to permit sliding movement of the slider in an intended or desired direction to be accurately carried out with reduced force.
The present invention has been made in view of the foregoing disadvantage of the prior art.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a slide switch which is capable of significantly reducing the number of parts therefor and facilitating assembling thereof.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a slide switch which is capable of exhibiting uniform and increased performance while ensuring increased accuracy.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a slide switch which is capable of smoothly moving a slider in any desired direction with respect to a base at increased accuracy.
In accordance with the present invention, a slide switch is provided. The slide switch includes a base provided thereon with fixed contacts, a slider provided thereon with a movable contact spring and arranged on the base so as to be movable in a desired direction while being guided by a combination of guide grooves and a slide elements, and a restoring spring-equipped cover provided with restoring springs adapted to be pressed against four sides of the slider. The restoring spring-equipped cover is mounted on the base from a side of an upper surface of the slider, so that the slider slid in a desired direction may be returned to its original position by restoring force of the restoring springs, whereby selective contacting between the movable contact spring and the fixed contacts permits a switching action, a mode changing-over action and the like to be selectively carried out.